IQ PAY - FACIAL RECOGNITION
What is facial recognition?
Facial recognition search technology has come a long way in recent years. Combined with facial identification technology, face recognition technology not only allows software to recognize when a face occurs in an image, but to also identify other images with the same face or even confirm an identity in real-time.
The applications for this kind of tech are vast – from checking to see if anyone is using an image illegally to unlocking your phone. For photographers, it does everything from in-camera face detection to instantly pulling up every image in your library pertaining to a particular person. If you’re an event or portrait photographer, automatic face tagging can save you incredible amounts of time. For hobbyists who love family photos, face matching technology can make finding photos of loved ones infinitely easier. When used in a reverse image search, face recognition can also be used to see if anyone has taken your images without permission, violating copyright.
How is Face Recognition Done?
There are two different types of facial recognition – fiducial recognition and pixel detection.
- Fiducial recognition, software measures the dimensions of different facial features. Examples include the distance between the eyes, the width of the nose, the length of the jawline, or even the shape of the cheekbones.
- Pixel detection analyzes the pixels in an image and compares them to a database of appearance generalizations (i.e. age, sex, etc.).
Both methods collect biometric data from a person’s face and facial expression and use this to identify and/or verify the identity of the person in the photo. Paired with artificial intelligence and machine learning, face recognition technology has become more and more accurate, and now can even work with incredible accuracy in real-time – at least in certain demographics.
What is a Reverse Image Search?
A reverse image search is the process of uploading a photo into a search engine and directing it to find similar images. This can be anything from people to car parts to plant IDs. The search results will not only show similar images but also websites that have that image or ones similar to it. At its most creative, reverse image search turns into a sort of Shazam for images, except that instead of songs you’ll get everything from Wikipedia articles to links to relevant websites to prices and places to buy an item. In terms of facial recognition, reverse image search was originally used for entertainment purposes, like finding the name of a celebrity you may have forgotten. These days, however, there are all sorts of applications – everything from discovering fake accounts on social media sites to discovering copyright violations. You can even use it to find out how far into the wide reaches of the internet images of your own face have traveled!
How facial recognition is used:
- Unlocking Phones
- Law enforcement
- Airports and border control
- Retail Crime monitoring
- Finding missing persons
- Improving retail experiences – Demographics
- Banking – Payment systems
- Marketing and advertising
- Healthcare
- Tracking student or worker attendance
- Recognizing drivers
- Monitoring gambling addictions
Advantages of face recognition
Aside from unlocking your smartphone, facial recognition brings other benefits:
Increased security
On a governmental level, facial recognition can help to identify terrorists or other criminals. On a personal level, facial recognition can be used as a security tool for locking personal devices and for personal surveillance cameras.
Reduced crime
Face recognition makes it easier to track down burglars, thieves, and trespassers. The sole knowledge of the presence of a face recognition system can serve as a deterrence, especially to petty crime. Aside from physical security, there are benefits to cybersecurity as well. Companies can use face recognition technology as a substitute for passwords to access computers. In theory, the technology cannot be hacked as there is nothing to steal or change, as is the case with a password.
Removing bias from stop and search
Public concern over unjustified stops and searches is a source of controversy for the police — facial recognition technology could improve the process. By singling out suspects among crowds through an automated rather than human process, face recognition technology could help reduce potential bias and decrease stops and searches on law-abiding citizens.
Greater convenience
As the technology becomes more widespread, customers will be able to pay in stores using their face, rather than pulling out their credit cards or cash. This could save time in checkout lines. Since there is no contact required for facial recognition as there is with fingerprinting or other security measures – useful in the post-COVID world – facial recognition offers a quick, automatic, and seamless verification experience.
Faster processing
The process of recognizing a face takes only a second, which has benefits for the companies that use facial recognition. In an era of cyber-attacks and advanced hacking tools, companies need both secure and fast technologies. Facial recognition enables quick and efficient verification of a person’s identity.
Integration with other technologies
Most facial recognition solutions are compatible with most security software. In fact, it is easily integrated. This limits the amount of additional investment required to implement it.
Disadvantages of face recognition
While some people do not mind being filmed in public and do not object to the use of facial recognition where there is a clear benefit or rationale, the technology can inspire intense reactions from others. Some of the disadvantages or concerns include:
Surveillance
Some worry that the use of facial recognition along with ubiquitous video cameras, artificial intelligence, and data analytics creates the potential for mass surveillance, which could restrict individual freedom. While facial recognition technology allows governments to track down criminals, it could also allow them to track down ordinary and innocent people at any time.
Scope for error
Facial recognition data is not free from error, which could lead to people being implicated for crimes they have not committed. For example, a slight change in camera angle or a change in appearance, such as a new hairstyle, could lead to error. In 2018, Newsweek reported that Amazon’s facial recognition technology had falsely identified 28 members of the US Congress as people arrested for crimes.
Breach of privacy
The question of ethics and privacy is the most contentious one. Governments have been known to store several citizens’ pictures without their consent. In 2020, the European Commission said it was considering a ban on facial recognition technology in public spaces for up to five years, to allow time to work out a regulatory framework to prevent privacy and ethical abuses.
Massive data storage
Facial recognition software relies on machine learning technology, which requires massive data sets to “learn” to deliver accurate results. Such large data sets require robust data storage. Small and medium-sized companies may not have sufficient resources to store the required data.
Facial recognition security – how to protect yourself.
While biometric data is generally considered one of the most reliable authentication methods, it also carries significant risk. That’s because if someone’s credit card details are hacked, that person has the option to freeze their credit and take steps to change the personal information that was breached. What do you do if you lose your digital ‘face’?
Around the world, biometric information is being captured, stored, and analyzed in increasing quantities, often by organizations and governments, with a mixed record on cybersecurity. A question increasingly being asked is, how safe is the infrastructure that holds and processes all this data?
As facial recognition software is still in its relative infancy, the laws governing this area are evolving (and sometimes non-existent). Regular citizens whose information is compromised have relatively few legal avenues to pursue. Cybercriminals often elude the authorities or are sentenced years after the fact, while their victims receive no compensation and are left to fend for themselves.
As the use of facial recognition becomes more widespread, the scope for hackers to steal your facial data to commit fraud — increases.
A comprehensive cybersecurity package is an essential part of protecting your online privacy and security. Biometric technology offers very compelling security solutions. Despite the risks, the systems are convenient and hard to duplicate. These systems will continue to develop in the future — the challenge will be to maximize their benefits while minimizing their risks.
OUR BUSINESS PARTNER:
THE SMART WAY TO PAY
IQ Pay - The Ultimate Payment Solution
Tired of carrying multiple payment cards and devices while shopping in-store or online? With IQ Pay, you don’t need any plastic or gadgets – just your face! Register your face template, add your card and four-digit PIN for additional security, and you’re good to go. No need to fumble for a wallet or phone when shopping, simply smile and pay.
EASY PAYMENTS
Make payments with a simple smile, no need to carry multiple cards or gadgets.
SECURE TRANSACTIONS
IQ Pay uses highly accurate face recognition technology and end-to-end encryption for secure transactions.
MERCHANT NETWORK
Shop safely at our ever-growing IQ Pay merchant network.